Dani Rodrik discusses why, when it comes to human development, the top ten performers are not dominated by the East Asian tigers, but my majority moslem countries, and not all of them big oil exporters.

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Thank you for directing me to Madeline Bunting’s thoughtful piece in The Guardian about the dangerous contradictions she sees in UK aid policy—an article cogently summarized by her subheading, “Seeking quick wins in development sends civil servants chasing fictional figures while long-term poverty reduction suffers.” But, even granting the unreasonableness of the new government’s demand that the Department for International Development must show overnight successes, fairness to DFID Secretary Andrew Mitchell enjoins modesty about the development community’s record in “long-term poverty reduction.”

We in the development community need to do a better job of achieving the latter goal—on shrinking budgets, unfortunately—in light of underwhelming public approval of what aid does. For example, Bunting cites a survey by the Institute of Development Studies showing that fifty-three percent of UK citizens believe “most UK aid is wasted.” (I write from the United States where, I promise you, equal or greater suspicion of aid flourishes.) No doubt the truth about UK—and USA—aid is less grim, but public perceptions matter in democracies. When (or if?) flush economic times return, the development community will want a happier image.

This is a conversational blog written and maintained by Duncan Green, strategic adviser for Oxfam GB and author of ‘From Poverty to Power’. This personal reflection is not intended as a comprehensive statement of Oxfam's agreed policies.